Nozzle cleaner



' A. AHOLMQUIST.

NOZZLE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1920.

2 m. 5 21 I R w w M n um e N 4 at n m 4. D1

A. HOLMQUIST.

NOZZLE CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, I920- 1,&35,8QO I PatentedNov. 14, 1922.

2 SHjETSSHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

I D t E.

AUGusT HOLMIQUIST, on'n'oor'ns'ron, ILLINOIS, nls'srenon r'o seamenanamaj MACHINERY COMPANY,"or 'cmoaeo, "ILLINOIS,- A 'oo'iaronarron orILLINOIS.

NOZZLE CLEANER.

Applicationfilerl september 27, 1920. Seria1*110."413,10 2.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, 'AUeUsrHoLM ms'r fillingmachines, for scraping ofi' the dis--,

charge means to prevent the material-from dripping, and thus gettingwhereitis not wanted.

One of the objects of my invention-is to provide an improved "fillingmachine, in which means are provided for automatically cleaning thedischarge means=to prevent dripping.

Further objects will appear from thede tailed description'tofollow'andfrom the appended claims.

In the drawings in which an embodiment of my invention is shown Fig. 1is a verticalaxial section of a filling machine substantiallyon-the'line 1-+1 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the filling machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is aside elevation showing the nozzle cleaning device; and

Fig. .4.- is a section on the line 42-4 of Fig. 3. i

The filling machine shown in the draw- .ing is of an old type, and nonovelty is claimed in the construction of a filling machine per se, thenovelty residing in the device for cleaning off the dischargemechanism,and in its combinationw-ith the filling machine.

In filling machlnes for handlingisticky or slow flowing materials, suchas syrup,

' marshmallow filling and the like, it has been:

found that the material will stick to the discharge means and will dripand thus cause the material to get where it is not wanted.

The filling machine shown in the drawing comprises in a general way, arotary reservoir 10 for the material to be filled, a stationary cut-offplate 11 in the bottom of the reservoir 10, a circular series ofmeasuring cylinders 12 and plunger-s 13 located ur'iderneath thereservoir 10 and rotatable therewith, a circular seriesof'can sweeps 14,secured to and rotatable with the measuring cylinders 12, and "acircular series of discharge nozzles 15 andplunger valves 16 forcontrolling the discharge from the measuring cylinders '12. Suitable cammeans are provided for "controlling the movement of the pistons 15which; operate in the measuring chambers 12, and a suitable cam-track 17is provided for controllingthe movement of the plunger valves 16,thez'plunger valves 16 being provided w'ith followers 18'for engagingthe circular "camtrack 17. A'suitable frame 19 isiprovicled forsupporting the various .partsin their Proper relation. I In order tofacilitatean understanding of the cleaning or scrapingattachment for thedischarge means, a brief -descriptionof-the operation of thefillingmachine-proper will now be give'n. The material, such assyrup. or thelike to befi'lled,. is placed in the rotary reservoiri10,-and themachine is put in operation to-cause this reservoinlO to rotate togetherwith themeasuring cylinders 12and1pistons 13,: and the discharge nozzles15 and plunger valves 16. Thecutoff plate 11, however, remainsstationary, being'sup ported by. a stationary sleeve 20whichsurroundsfithe rotary shaft 21, to which the rotary parts aresecured. Cans are fed to the machine animator the sweeps lt, anddischargedby a-ny'suitable means not necessaryvto beshown or'to be.described in detail. As the parts revolve: the pistons 13- are caused toreciprocatein the measuring cylinders 12, and the plunger valvesl-G alsoare caused to reciprocate-in the disch-argenozzles 15,"the reciprocationof the pistons 13 andplunger valves 16 being suitably timed to causecharges ofuthe I material to be drawn down into the measuring chambers12 while theplunger valves 16 are=in closing position, and while themeasuring chambers are moving underneath the opening 22 in thestationary cut-off plate 11, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, and alsobeing timed so that the plungers 13 will operate to discharge thematerial from the measuring chambers 12 at a time when these measuringchambers are underneath the unapertured portion of the cut-off plate 11,

and while the plunger valves 16 are in open In using this machine withsticky or slow flowing substances, it is readily seen that the materialwould tend to stick to the discharge nozzles and drip as the nozzlesmove along, and drip at a time when there would be no receptacleunderneath the discharge nozzles, so that the material. would drip onthe machine and cause it to become gummed up. To remedy this, I providean attachment to automatically scrape off the discharge nozzles 15, asthese nozzles rotate.

This device comprises a circular rotary knife I 23, provided on itsupper surface with a starwheel 24, the arms of which are located inposition to be engaged by the discharge end of the nozzles 15 as theyrotate, the knife itself being located so that it will snu enthe underface of the discharge nozzle 15 to scrape off any material which may besticking to this discharge nozzle, and to cause this material thus cutoff to be deposited in the receptacle which is traveling underneath.

In order to prevent any material from sticking to the rotary knifeitself, I provide a roller 25, which engages the under surface of therotary knife 23 and operates in a bath 26 of oil or other suitablematerial, causing a film or layer of oil to be. applied to the undersurface of the knife 23 to prevent the sticky material from. sticking tothe under surface of this knife. In certain substances, such as thefilling for marshmallows, it may be desired to have the roller operatein a bath of powdered sugar or the like, instead of a bath of oil, thiscausing a film or layer of powdered material to adhere to the lower faceof the roller knife 23 to prevent the ma terial from sticking to theknife.

The rotary knife 23 may be secured to a vertical shaft 27 mounted in abearing 28 in a bracket 29. The roller 25 may be mounted on a shaft 30secured to a bracket arm 31 extending from the bearing 28.

In operation, as the rotary series of nozzles l5 successively engage thearms of the star-wheel 21, the engaging nozzles causes the stanwheel. torotate through an angle of 90 degrees to bring the succeeding arm inposition to be engaged by the succeeding nozzle 15. This rotation of thestar-wheel. causes a rotation of the knife 23, which engages the underface of the discharge 110L- zle 15 with a rotary drawing motion to out01f the surplus material which may be sticking to the bottom of thenozzle, and to cause this surplus material to drop down into thereceptacle underneath, the under surface of the knife 23, as previouslydescribed being provided with a film or coating which will preventadherence of the sticky material to the under surface of the knife.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic filling machine provided with a series of dischargemeans i'novable consecutively in a definite path, means for causingmaterial to be discharged by means of said discharge means, and meansfor removing the surplus inaterial'which sticks to said discharge meanssaid discharge means move, said. means for removing comprising arotatable knife, and means for intermittently rotating said knife.

2. An automatic filling machine provided with a series of dischargemeans movable consecutively in a definite path, means for causingmaterial to be discharged by .1: cans of said discharge means, and meansfor removing the surplus material which sticks to said discharge meansas said discharge means move, said means forreinoving comprising arotatable knife,.and means for intermittently rotating said knife, saidlast means comprising a star-wheel actuated by said discharge means.

3. An automatic filling machine provided With-av series of dischargemeans movable consecutively in a definite path, means for causingmaterial to be discharged by means of said discharge means, and meansfor removing the surplus material which sticks to said discharge meansas said discharge means move, said means for removing com prising arotatable knife, and means for ap-- the knife, said preventing meanscomprising a roller engaging the face of the knife.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

AUGUST HOLMQUIST,

